Must Reads for Reading Teachers

Every Reading Teacher 

Must Read this Book!

In the book, The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller reflects on her journey to become a reading teacher and describes how she inspires and motivates her middle school students to read 40 or more books a year. This book will inspire and motivate you to give time to your students to choose books and read the great stories written by talented writers.  Your students will begin to travel back and forth to school with a book in their backpack.  They will begin to talk about the stories they read and classmates will ask if they can read 'that book' after them.  Donalyn's teaching practices in reading are both courageous and contagious.  She understands the importance of reading real books and creating a reading-writing community in her classroom.  Read the book!

 Donalyn currently facilitates the community blog, The Nerdy Book Club and co-writes a monthly column for Scholastic’s Principal-to-Principal Newsletter. Her articles about teaching and reading have appeared in publications such as The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership and The Washington Post.

I am presently reading her latest book, Reading in the Wild, where she has collected responses from 900 adult readers and uses this information to teach lifelong reading habits to her students.  Click on the YouTube below to learn more about this wonderful book by Donalyn Miller.  

Encourage Discovery!

Encourage students to discover!  The joy of discovery motivates students to learn. Remember your first successful attempt at riding a bicycle and the excitement you experienced? It is not that you were the first person in the world to ride a bicycle, but what mattered was that you discovered that you could do it. It is this process of discovery that we need to recreate for learning in classrooms. People learn through a discovery process. 

Here are some wonderful discoveries about plants in our classroom - 

look, see and discover!

Planting lima beans in a plastic baggie.  Will they really sprout in a bag?  Next, plant sprouts into seedling pots.  Discover the changes and make notes about your observations.  Do all of your seedlings grow?  Which grew best?   Wonder if there will be a  harvest of real lima beans?   Discovery and conversation happen every morning around this 'wonderful windowful'. 

starting out in plastic bag

transplant in cup

watching and observing growth and change

amazing plants

And another discovery…you can grow plants in a CD case!
the children love this!

 We are also growing paperwhite (narcissus) bulbs.  Students had a choice to plant them in water, rocks or soil.  Each student has 2 bulbs.  They are observing, taking notes and keeping a plant journal about their plants.  We are hoping to have flowers by Christmas and take these home as a family gift.  

forcing paperwhite bulbs

bulbs with shoots

buds appearing

and flowers!

2 easy experiments to do in your classroom:  

How will the celery change?  Why did it do that?

What is happening with this plant?

Children are keeping a plant journal of all the wonderful plant activity they discover.  They are making observations, jotting down notes, talking with each other and comparing the different plants and their growth or lack of it.  We are discovering and graphing paperwhite activity by placing a circle dot next to roots, shoots, buds and flowers.  Each student places a colored circle when each is observed.  Our 'wonderful windowful discoveries' provides us with many language opportunities for  reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as math and science! Be sure to check back -  plant journals will be posted soon for you to download and use in your classroom.

Make newspaper seedling pots.  

Very inexpensive and easy ….find the link HERE for directions.

 What will you discover today?

Using Children's Literature As a Springboard for Writing Assignments

House Held Up By Trees
by Ted Kooser  Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Read this book to your class as a springboard for a writing assignment.  It is one of those books that grabs their attention on page 1.   The story starts out with a brand new house sitting on a 'perfect' lawn. Not a single tree!  So what's perfect about that??   especially to someone who happens to love trees.  Your listeners right away listen in closely to examine this author's message and find it curious why someone would want a yard without one single sprout or tree.  

 And, in search for a place for play and adventure, the children in the story find wild trees of all kinds in the neighboring lots.  At this point, your listeners will give a sigh of relief and applaud the wisdom of children.
Yet, the father in the story continues his battle to keep blowing seeds and sprouting trees out of his perfect lawn.  The children grow up and move away and their father continues to keep his lawn so very, very perfect.  Until one day, the father moves away too. And that is when the empty house began its decline or ascent (depending how you look upon it)....the trees began their approach.

This book is wistful and exhilarating! It evokes the inexorable passage of time and gives us the inspiring power of nature.  An uplifting story for all ages!

After reading this book, my third graders had many comments and questions... and they were absolutely delighted with their writing assignment for the day.  They were to make a list of materials they needed to build a treehouse.  Next, they would also design and draw their treehouse so a builder or architect might build their treehouse using their drawing.    Finally, they were to write directions to build their treehouse, implementing order of events, transition words such as first, next, then, finally etc.  

Children were working within 2 minutes after transitioning from listening area to desks and tables.  Materials were :  pencils, paper, both lined and drawing, and their writing folders in which to reference high frequency words and checklists.  These third graders were able to sustain for 35 minutes engaged in writing and asked could they have more time to work on this the following day!  

Excellent books and authors can help tremendously in teaching writing.  Published authors can be writing models for ways to start a piece of writing, new vocabulary, organization, springboard for new ideas, and voice.  This book was jammed packed with science vocabulary about trees, plants, life cycles and more.  This book engaged the children in attentive listening and motivated them to delve deeper in their thinking when discussing why a perfect lawn would have trees or would not have trees.  

Writing Samples from this book:

third grader's writing response to House Held Up By Trees by Ted Koozer
This is a 1st draft of materials needed for 'my treehouse' and a drawing of the treehouse--
next step is to write an 'order of events' piece about building the treehouse

drawing, writing piece 'order of events'  and materials list  *this is 1st draft; 3rd grader*

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!  Check back as I hope to write more often.

A Message to Keep in Mind - from Brad Paisley

Wishes for a great school year ahead!

Have a wonderful school year!

Your Dream Class Awaits

The Classroom Management Secret

by Michael Linsin

I recommend this book for any teacher or parent who would like some no nonsense and practical advice on how to get your students to rise to your expectations.  Michael Linsin lays out a plan for your whole class management as well as addressing individual students and behaviors.  He also has a blog that is chock full of good tips and lessons to have the dream class you always hoped you would have.  The book progresses step-by-step through 45 time-tested strategies, showing you how to manage your classroom in a way that inspires students to want to behave.  By the end of the book, you'll have the knowledge to free your classroom of misbehavior and disrespect, build easy rapport with your students, and teach with a spirit of joy and passion that you've always longed for.

I also would recommend Dream Class .  Another book by Michael Linsin.  Easy to read with lots of great ideas and a true theme about how and why kids want to behave and learn.

Here is a link to his website.... smart classroom management

Stories to Start Out the School Year

 The Story Blanket, will help you create the classroom climate at the beginning of the school year.  I teach kindness every year and it is a focus during the start of school.  The story is a great read aloud and will be a springboard for the many conversations that are necessary about the golden rule.

Babba Zarrah lives in a tiny village in the snow-covered mountains. The children love to visit her. They settle down on her big, old story blanket and listen to her imaginative tales. One day Babba Zarrah notices that Nikolai needs new socks, but she has no yarn. Every question has an answer, Babba Zarrah tells herself, I just have to find it. After the children leave, she unravels part of her story blanket and knits him some nice warm socks.

Not long after that, the postman is surprised to find a scarf wrapped around his mailbag. The grocer mysteriously receives a shawl to keep her warm. On the woodpile outside the school is a pair of mittens for the schoolmaster. Meanwhile, the story blanket is getting smaller and smaller. When the villagers discover Babba Zarrah s secret, they decide to give her a surprise of her own.


Click HERE to download a writing response page for students to complete after reading the book.

I am planning a short Science activity about questions and answers.  Check back as I will post another first week of school activity.  Also search for Each Kindness on my blog, another great story to share at the start of school.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day.

 

Back to School

Greeting Card for 'Back to School'
 illustrated and created
by Chris Q

Hello Readers!
Hope you are enjoying your last days of summer vacation.  
Some of you may already be busy in your classrooms....

wishing you the very best 

school year ahead! 

This year, I am going to try to post more often.  I have a zillion things on my computer to share.  I am always thinking and creating new pages and artwork for my classroom.  I am thrilled with all the many things on line that teachers share...together, the possibilities are endless.
Please stop back to see how I am doing.  I have been teaching for 20+ years and every year is different.  I look forward to another school year of writing, teaching, learning and sharing.  

This is a sign I made for my classroom doorway that reads:

Hall Sign for Classroom Management

You may purchase my sign at TPT for only $1.00.  This is a 1 page pdf that you may download, print and laminate.  Post it next to your doorway to remind your class about your expectations when passing through the hallways.

Or just click HERE and you can download this sign for FREE! as a Thank you for visiting my blog.  I will post more freebies soon!

If you wish, you may also purchase my "Back To School" greeting card!  

In my spare time, (whenever I can find a single morning) I like to paint and illustrate.  I have made over 1600 greeting cards!  Yikes! and also lots of paintings.  I keep trying to make that 'perfect' painting while still knowing that it is impossible.  If you break the word impossible in just the right place...it reads 'I'm possible!" 

It is important to:

 do what you 

love 

what you do

My next post will be about a great book to read aloud to your class at the beginning of the school year.  

Check back!

Using Post-Its During Reading

 

 

There is a website called Postit.com/teachers.  You will find some great ideas to use your post-its.  Here is one that worked for me. 
 

Read and Find  - Post It - Activity
 

Description:

Before the students arrive, place two post-its on each student's desk. One has a ? on it. The other has a ! on it. As they read the assigned text, they look for something they have a question about and something they learned. The question is writen on the post-it with the ? and the thing they learned is writen on the one with the !  I assigned reading on informational text, namely, rocks and minerals.

During reading, I encourage my students to think of something they have a question about and something they found interested about; something they learned.  Students write statements on the post its.  Next,  the students stick the post-its on a large graphic organizer I have prelabled with questions I have, something I learned.  This activity sets a purpose for reading and helps students to focus on the text.   

How it Works

Step 1: Create a class sized graphic organizer that relates to the text you have chosen.

Step 2: Pick two light colored post-its. On one color, print a ? in a corner. On the other color, print a ! in a corner. Place one of each color on each student's desk.

Step 3: Tell the students to read the assignment and find one thing they have a question about and write it on the post-it with the ? They should also find something they learned and write it on the post-it with the !

Step 4: Have the students put their post-its on the graphic organizer.

Step 5: Use the results as a way to guage the students' understanding of the text.  Later, ask students to read on to find the answers to the questions. 

(Credits to postit.com/teachers....thanks!)

Below is an example anchor chart used in a classroom that uses post-its

Another great idea for post its during reading.  Easy way to show
that our thinking changes when reading a chapter book.

 



Extraordinary Poet and Illustrator

by Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrated by Josee Bisaillon

 Bookspeak is a wonderful book! a collection of poetry about books!  You will love this book; especially if you are a book lover, as I am.  Laura Purdie Salas is the author.  Josee Bisaillon is the illustrator and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her illustrations.  This is a perfect book to read aloud to your students to teach poetry AND the love of books.

I love every poem in this book but here is the one I will read tomorrow to my third graders.

                        Top Secret

Describe your desires and they become mine.

I'm a treasure box where feelings can shine.

All thinkers need pages where dreams can take flight.

Reveal all

Your secrets, one entry per night.

So you might ask, how does this tie into my curriculum and all else I am doing.  The page of "top secret" (the poem) is beautifully illustrated with butterflies skittering out from a book and across the page.  In Science, we are studying life cycles. We are waiting for our butterflies to be born and our chicks to hatch.  We also just started a unit on rocks and minerals...and another poem in this book will be perfect.  It's called "Cliffhanger".  We are also reading Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White.  Sam Beaver, a character in that story always keeps a diary so I chose "Top Secret" to make a connection to our read aloud.  And most important, "all thinkers need pages"!  

Laura Purdie Salas' awesome website!

Hydrophobiac

I swallow up dragons
and cannons and wars.
I don't fear old mansions
with slow, creaking
doors.
I quite like the dark---
murky midnight's no threat
The one thing I fear
is the feeling of

wet!
When puddles attack me or
raindrops are sprinkled,

they leave me all soggy---
they turn me all wrinkled!

Check back ...as one book leads to another!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Another simple and beautiful lesson from Dr. Seuss!  There is always something 'lucky' about you! Read Dr. Seuss' great book about the array of predicaments you're lucky you are not in.  Like working in the cross your t's and dot your i's factory...now there is a job you are lucky you don't have.  A very entertaining book by Dr. Seuss, enjoy! His rhyme and rhythm are fun to read and fun to listen to.

Click Below for DailyMotion.com. Video of Dr. Seuss' book and 

Grab a reader response page for your kids....let them write about how lucky they are!

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are Video

Reader Response Page to Use with Did I Ever Tell You You're Lucky here

Dr. Seuss' Wonderful, Wonderful Art!  He knew what life should be.  Please share the genius of Dr. Seuss in your classroom!

Mouse Adventures

A Mouse Called Wolf

by Dick King-Smith

This story is about achieving, even if you are small. Wolf is the smallest and least strong of the mice cubs...and he is looked down upon by others.  He stays at home with his mum when all the others leave the nest.  His mother named him Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  She just happened to lift this wonderful name off of some sheet music.  She liked the name and the name was bigger than mouse himself!  Enter Mrs. Honeybee!  Perhaps it was his name that gave him his unusual talent because Wolf discovers he can sing the music Mrs. Honeybee plays.  Mum is nervous about Mrs. Honeybee because she is a cat...and so the adventure begins.

  Another King-Smith critter to love. 

The family mouse hole is just behind the leg of a grand piano played twice a day by an elderly woman.  The three central characters are nicely crafted in this sweet story. Budding young musicians will relate to Wolf's struggles to develop his talent and share it with his not-so-musical mother. Those who haven't discovered their talents will enjoy this small mouse as they have the other creatures King-Smith so lovingly creates. 

Illustrations are engaging and are black-and-white and truly capture the warmth of the text. 
This book will appeal to your young readers who are ready for chapter books....and it is an awesome read aloud!  Wait to you hear Wolf singing everything from "Three Blind Mice" to Chopin, the Beatles and more...and all to Mrs. Honeybee's accompaniment.  and oh, my! then an accident happens and leaves Mrs. honeybee in danger....it's up to Wolf to save her! Read the book!  You will not be disappointed.

Listening to good books is enjoyable for kids!  

Read to a Child, Today!

Reading Poetry

Emily Dickinson 

Journey into the world of Emily Dickinson where the ordinary is filled with beauty and charm. 

 The poems in this collection are carefully chosen for children and they are beautifully illustrated by Chi Chung.  A great book to teach visualization.  I recommend this book to young and old. This poetry book has a wonderful introduction about Emily, her life and her writing. A must read for your student writers!

 Reading and responding to poetry by classic poets gives your students literacy background and knowledge of the many different kinds of writing.  Some of Emily's works can be dreary and about death but there are many you might choose to share with your students.  This book captures her best for kids.
Poetry Idea:  Use the response sheet below after reading a poem to your students. Have copies of the poem for their pockets.  To practice fluency, have the children read the poem aloud 3x.  I tell my students they can read the poem to Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, their pets, their goldfish, a stuffed animal...well, you get the idea.  They write the name of the person to whom they read their poem and check..sign..and date.  Have them bring back their response sheet the next day.  

Click HERE for your copy to print